[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6486-H6493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 990) supporting the officers and personnel who
carry out the important mission of the United States Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 990
Whereas the national security interests of the United
States are dependent on the brave men and women who enforce
our Nation's immigration laws;
Whereas abolishing United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) would mean open borders because it would
eliminate the main agency responsible for removing people who
enter or remain in our country illegally;
Whereas calls to abolish ICE are an insult to these heroic
law enforcement officers who make sacrifices every day to
secure our borders, enforce our laws, and protect our safety
and security;
Whereas abolishing ICE would allow dangerous criminal
aliens, including violent and ruthless members of the MS-13
gang, to remain in American communities;
Whereas during fiscal year 2017, ICE Enforcement and
Removal Operations (ERO) arrested more than 127,000 aliens
with criminal convictions or charges;
Whereas ICE ERO made 5,225 administrative arrests of
suspected gang members in fiscal year 2017;
Whereas criminal aliens arrested by ICE ERO in fiscal year
2017 were responsible for more than--
(1) 76,000 dangerous drug offenses;
(2) 48,000 assault offenses;
(3) 11,000 weapon offenses;
(4) 5,000 sexual assault offenses;
(5) 2,000 kidnapping offenses; and
(6) 1,800 homicide offenses;
Whereas ICE Homeland Security Investigations made 4,818
gang-related arrests in fiscal year 2017;
Whereas ICE identified or rescued 904 sexually exploited
children;
Whereas ICE identified or rescued 518 victims of human
trafficking;
Whereas abolishing ICE would mean that countless illegal
aliens who could pose a threat to public safety would be
allowed to roam free instead of being removed from American
soil;
Whereas abolishing ICE would mean more dangerous illegal
drugs flowing into our communities, causing more Americans to
needlessly suffer;
Whereas ICE plays a critical role in combatting the drug
crisis facing our Nation;
Whereas ICE seized more than 980,000 pounds of narcotics in
fiscal year 2017, including thousands of pounds of the deadly
drugs fueling the opioid crisis;
Whereas ICE seized 2,370 pounds of fentanyl and 6,967
pounds of heroin in fiscal year 2017;
Whereas ICE logged nearly 90,000 investigative hours
directed toward fentanyl in fiscal year 2017;
Whereas abolishing ICE would leave these drugs in our
communities to cause more devastation;
Whereas abolishing ICE would mean eliminating the agency
that deports aliens that pose a terrorist threat to the
United States;
Whereas ICE was created in 2003 to better protect national
security and public safety after the 9/11 terrorists
exploited immigration laws to gain entry into the United
States;
Whereas the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks found
that many of the 9/11 hijackers committed visa violations;
Whereas ICE identifies dangerous individuals before they
enter our country and locates them as they violate our
immigration laws; and
Whereas abolishing ICE would enable the hundreds of
thousands of foreign nationals who illegally overstay their
visa each year to remain in the United States indefinitely:
Now, therefore, be it
[[Page H6487]]
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) expresses its continued support for all United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and
personnel who carry out the important mission of ICE;
(2) denounces calls for the abolishment of ICE; and
(3) supports the efforts of all Federal agencies, State law
enforcement, and military personnel who bring law and order
to our Nation's borders.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous materials on H. Res. 990, currently under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H. Res. 990 introduced by Clay
Higgins to express our support for the men and women of the U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Recently, Democrats nationwide, from the mayor of New York City to
Senators Gillibrand and Warren, have recklessly called for the
abolishment of ICE, the agency within the Department of Homeland
Security charged with enforcing Federal immigration laws within our
Nation's interior.
They have used rhetoric that is both bewildering and deeply
troubling. New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon has gone so
far as to call ICE a ``terrorist organization.'' The Democratic
candidate for the 14th Congressional District of New York just
yesterday stated: ``We have to occupy all of it. We need to occupy
every airport. We need to occupy every border. We need to occupy every
ICE office. . . . ''
What is remarkable is that these calls would undo what has been our
singular bipartisan achievement on immigration over the last two
decades--the creation of ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The late Barbara Jordan was one of the most distinguished persons
ever to serve in this body. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom and NAACP's highest honor, the Spingarn Medal for highest and
noblest achievement by a living African American. She was appointed by
President Clinton to be chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration
Reform. Her commission found that:
Immigration law enforcement requires staffing, training,
resources, and a work culture that differs from what is
required for effective adjudication of immigration benefits.
Separating enforcement and benefits functions will lead to
more effective enforcement.
The commission is particularly concerned that although the
removal system produced more than 100,000 final removal
orders each year, the system did not have the corresponding
capacity to remove the individuals subject to those orders.
It noted that:
The system is bogged down with increasing numbers of aliens
who are put into removal proceedings, released due to a lack
of detention space, and never appear at their hearings, or
are never deported after a final order of removal is issued.
We must enable the immigration system to deliver better on
its commitment to actually remove those who are issued final
orders.
Those are the words of Barbara Jordan's Commission.
Following upon the Barbara Jordan Commission's recommendation, Sheila
Jackson Lee introduced the Immigration Restructuring and Accountability
Act establishing an Office of Immigration Enforcement to:
Implement the removal of deportable and inadmissible aliens
from the United States.
Ms. Jackson Lee has stated:
I have been a champion for years when it comes to
restructuring the Immigration and Naturalization Service. I
have been arguing for years that we need to separate out
services and enforcement functions of the INS.
In 2001, then-Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner
introduced the Barbara Jordan Immigration Reform and Accountability Act
which proposed to abolish the INS and established separate offices for
immigration enforcement and the provision of immigration benefits. The
bill was a bipartisan juggernaut. It passed the Judiciary Committee by
a vote of 32-2 and this body by a vote of 405-9.
Alcee Hastings stated during floor consideration that:
I want to commend the authors of this bill. They have
produced a bipartisan bill that is sure to improve
performance and accountability. I think Mr. Sensenbrenner and
Mr. Conyers have done an outstanding job.
The Barbara Jordan Immigration Reform and Accountability Act was, in
effect, enacted into law as part of the Homeland Security Act. In
creating DHS, it transferred over the INS's functions and placed
responsibility over Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the same
directorate. President Bush placed the final piece of the puzzle in
2003 when he submitted a DHS reorganization plan that created the
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the primary mission
of:
Enforcing the full range of immigration and customs laws
within the interior of the United States.
In that bygone era, House Democrats were committed to effective
enforcement of our immigration laws. This was further evidenced by the
fact that in 1996, a majority of Democrats voted for Lamar Smith's
omnibus immigration enforcement legislation that was to be enacted as
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.
That commitment has inexorably withered away. By 2005, only 36 House
Democrats voted for Jim Sensenbrenner's Border Protection, Anti-
Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act. Just a few weeks ago,
not one Democrat voted for either of two bills that would have
resuscitated immigration enforcement--the Securing America's Future Act
or the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act.
House Democrats once worked collaboratively with Republicans to
improve the effectiveness of Federal immigration enforcement. I hope
that we will resume that soon. Now it appears that they are outraged
when ICE has the audacity to actually enforce the laws that we have
enacted.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote on both sides of the aisle
for H. Res. 990. Let's honor the work of Barbara Jordan and our
Republican and Democratic colleagues who joined together to create ICE,
and the brave men and women of ICE to whom we owe so much.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution is the legislative equivalent of
fiddling while Rome is burning. Our President takes to the world stage
to side with a hostile foreign power over his own intelligence
services. Here at home he engages in government-sponsored child abuse
in the form of a family separation policy that continues to terrorize
children as young as 6 months.
This nonbinding resolution before us would do nothing to bring about
a fair and just immigration system. In fact, it would do nothing at
all. It is just a meaningless political stunt to change the subject
from the international and domestic shame unleashed on us by President
Trump.
The President imposed the family separation policy, and his
administration never even considered how to ensure that the children
would eventually reunite with their families. Now, nearly 3,000
children remain separated, and they do not know when, or even if, they
will ever see their parents again. Many of these children were ripped
from the arms of their mothers and fathers, and their anguish is
unimaginable.
But this bill would do nothing to reverse this disastrous and cruel
family separation policy. It would do nothing to ensure that parents
and children are accurately tracked so that families can be reunited,
and it would do nothing to address the horrendous conditions separated
children are being subjected to.
For example, 14-month-old Baby M--we must use a pseudonym--was
separated from his mother for 85 days at 14 months and he returned so
full of dirt and lice that it appeared he had not been bathed the
entire time he was in Federal custody. His mother Olivia
[[Page H6488]]
says that he is not the same since they were reunited, and he cries
whenever he does not see her out of fear that he might be left alone
again.
Mr. Speaker, this is a humanitarian crisis. We do not have the time
to waste with political stunts like this bill while the moral fiber of
our country is torn apart.
I will be voting ``present'' on this bill, because I have no desire
to play the Republican's immoral games right now. We have much more
important things to do.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Higgins), who is the chief sponsor of this legislation.
Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, for weeks now, the abolish ICE
movement has been growing in popularity on the left with many Democrats
embracing this radical policy stance.
I find it extremely ironic that calls to abolish the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement Agency come only 1 year after 159 House Democrats
voted to pass landmark legislation introduced by my colleague, Chairman
Michael McCaul, reauthorizing ICE and other DHS agencies for the first
time since their inception after 9/11.
Mr. Speaker, calls to abolish ICE are reckless, dangerous to
America's national security, and threaten the well-being of our ICE
agents. As a member of the thin blue line, this attack on ICE is
personal to me.
The men and women of ICE serve as America's frontline defenders
against human, drug, and weapons traffickers. ICE agents locate,
arrest, and deport violent gang members and criminal aliens who
threaten public safety.
Last year alone, ICE arrested more than 127,000 criminal aliens
responsible for: 76,000 drug offenses, 48,000 assault offenses, 11,000
weapons offenses, 5,000 sexual assault offenses, 2,000 kidnapping
offenses, and 1,800 homicide offenses.
Further, ICE agents made more than 4,800 gang-related arrests,
rescued 518 victims of human trafficking, and seized 1 million pounds
of narcotics last year.
The campaign against ICE is the latest rallying cry for open borders,
the latest call to prioritize illegal immigrants over American
citizens, and the latest shrill cacophony from the left to vilify and
demonize frontline law enforcement in America.
Democrats are making it very clear to the American people that they
stand against efforts to secure America's borders. Americans
overwhelmingly support law and order. I speak for a coalition of
conservative Members of Congress as I introduce this resolution
affirming support for ICE personnel and condemning the dangerous call
from the left to abolish ICE.
Let me state further that affirming support for ICE should not be the
end of our efforts. We should be doing more to secure our borders and
provide frontline defenders with the resources necessary to accomplish
their mission, and we should end dangerous sanctuary policies.
Today the House will vote on our resolution formally stating
congressional support for ICE personnel and their mission.
{time} 1400
Despite the rhetoric being pushed by the left, the American people
support Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their service should be
respected. Very soon, we the people will know where every Member of
this Congress stands.
Mr. Speaker, it saddens me to say it has been brought to my attention
that some of my colleagues across the aisle plan to vote ``present'' on
today's resolution. I would remind them that our constituents elected
us as their voice in the people's House. We were not elected to be
silent. The American people deserve to know where every Member of this
body stands. To vote ``present'' on this resolution reflects fear. The
American citizenry deserves a courageous vote.
I urge my colleagues to look into their hearts, vote on this
resolution reflective of your own deepest belief, and, as you do so,
remember that we all have been elected to serve American citizens,
American interests, and America's future.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Lofgren), the ranking Democrat on the Immigration and
Border Security Subcommittee.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I support fair and humane enforcement of
our immigration laws, but that is not what this resolution is about. It
is nothing but a ploy to distract us from critical issues facing our
country.
A most urgent issue now is the need to reunify thousands of children,
including babies, who were forcefully torn from their parents' arms at
the border. Despite court orders requiring reunification, more than
2,000 remain separated from their parents.
This bill does nothing to address that humanitarian crisis, a crisis
created by President Trump's so-called zero-tolerance policy.
The bill does nothing, for example, to more quickly reunify children
like Jefferson, a 6-year-old boy taken from his father after traveling
together from Guatemala, seeking asylum. They were kept apart for
almost 2 heart-wrenching months.
When they were finally reunified 3 days ago, the traumatic effects of
the separation were clear. Jefferson was unemotional, with a vacant
look in his eyes. He thought, for those 2 excruciating months, that his
father no longer loved him or that he was dead.
Jefferson had a cough, bruises, and a rash all over his body. It is
not clear whether Jefferson will ever fully recover emotionally.
There are many more kids like Jefferson who remain separated from
their parents.
As Members of Congress, we can't sit on the sidelines as witnesses to
government-sponsored child abuse. We must take concrete steps to end
this tragedy and pass legislation to prevent it from ever happening
again, and this resolution doesn't do that. This resolution does not
even acknowledge the plight of babies separated from their mothers, nor
does it make any recommendations for family reunification.
This resolution is nothing more than a feeble attempt at political
gamesmanship. The resolution shows the Republican majority is unwilling
to solve our immigration crisis, just as they are unwilling to tackle
rising healthcare costs, wage stagnation, a pending trade war, and the
President's lovefest with Russia.
With a little more than a week left before the August recess, the
Republican majority is more interested in political games than actually
governing.
Rather than doing anything meaningful for the American people, we are
wasting our time on a political stunt. It is just shameful. I refuse to
play this game. I intend to vote ``present'' on this meaningless
resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the former chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee.
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the selfless men
and women who serve at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These brave
individuals risk their lives every day to protect our Nation and
enforce our laws. They deserve our admiration and support, not a
``present'' vote.
It is disgusting and unconscionable that Members of the political
left, Members in this very Chamber, continue to denigrate these
patriots. One prominent gubernatorial candidate declared ICE a
terrorist organization. A House Member called ICE fascist. Another
Member of this body said that ICE agents, who were just doing their
job, were cowardly.
I wish that I was making this up. Talk about shameful statements,
talk about inflammatory statements to a law enforcement agency that is
responsible for the internal enforcement of both our immigration and
customs laws.
Mr. Speaker, these attacks are utterly despicable. While #AbolishICE
might make for a catchy bumper sticker for radical leftists, it is
harmful to our law enforcement.
Today, I join with my colleagues in supporting this resolution and
commending ICE agents for their hard work.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, what is disgusting is for Congress to sit
idly by while children are ripped from the arms of their parents and
abused.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington
(Ms. Jayapal).
[[Page H6489]]
Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, this is what it takes to have a debate on
the floor about family separation.
It is outrageous that my Republican colleagues are playing pure
politics with a resolution that does absolutely nothing to address the
most pressing crisis before us, which is the separation of 3,000
children from their parents. It is about putting kids in cages and
parents in prison who are seeking asylum.
Mr. Speaker, in spite of court orders, this administration still has
yet to reunite these children with their families, and I will tell you
that these are parents who even have been denied the opportunity to
speak to their kids for more than 10 minutes twice a week.
Mr. Speaker, this bill does nothing to prevent President Trump from
again ordering enforcement agents to rip breastfeeding babies from
their mothers' arms. This isn't just rhetoric. This happened numerous
times under Trump's zero-tolerance, zero-humanity policy.
In one case, for instance, an asylum seeker from Honduras reported
that Federal agents took her daughter from her while she was
breastfeeding in a Texas detention center. When she resisted, as any
mother would--because I am a mother, I can say that, from the bottom of
my heart--this mother was handcuffed, handcuffed for wanting to feed
her baby.
Stripping babies from the arms of their mothers is cruel and
inhumane, and this body should be debating that policy, should be
fixing that policy, instead of putting forward a ridiculous, do-
nothing, political resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to put their attention
on real issues, instead of continuing to play games with children's
lives.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds to point out to
my Democratic colleagues that every single one of them had the
opportunity and every single one of them voted against H.R. 6136, which
addressed this issue and a solution for DACA recipients. Every one of
them voted against it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr.
Scalise), the House majority whip.
Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Virginia for
yielding. I especially want to thank my colleague Congressman Higgins
from Louisiana for his leadership in bringing this resolution to the
floor.
And what does the resolution do? It simply says that we stand behind
our ICE agents, those brave men and women who are keeping America safe.
These are the people on the front lines of removing terrorists from our
country. These are the people who, by the way, last year alone, removed
100,000 criminals from our country.
And they want to vote ``present''? My colleagues on the other side
are talking about voting ``present.''
Mr. Speaker, when you look at the numbers, last year, ICE agents
rescued or identified 518 victims of human trafficking. What if those
ICE agents would have voted ``present'' that day instead of rescuing
those victims of human trafficking? Luckily, Mr. Speaker, they didn't
vote ``present.'' They showed up and did their job to keep America
safe.
What if, last year, Mr. Speaker, those ICE agents who rescued or
identified 904 people who were sexually exploited children voted
``present'' that day, instead of rescuing those 904 sexually exploited
children? Luckily, they didn't vote ``present,'' Mr. Speaker. They
showed up and did their job.
We need to stand up for them. We need to stand up for what is
important at keeping this country safe.
Are we for open borders? Absolutely not.
On this resolution, there is one choice, one button to hit if you
support these men and women who are keeping us safe, who are keeping us
from open borders. That vote is ``yes.'' Any other vote than a ``yes''
vote is for open borders and somehow not supporting these men and
women.
Let's look at what is resolved in the resolution. We express our
continued support for those ICE agents. We denounce calls to abolish
ICE. And we support efforts of all Federal agencies--State law
enforcement, military personnel--who bring law and order to our
Nation's border.
The only vote on this resolution is ``yes.''
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds.
Yes, every Democrat voted against H.R. 6136, which provided for
indefinite detention of entire families, among other obnoxious
provisions. So did many Republicans, thank God.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Hoyer), the distinguished Democratic whip.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I
thank the ICE agents for being present.
It is unfortunate that our Republican colleagues are not present
doing the business that cries out to be done.
I am voting ``present'' on this resolution because it is a sham and a
distraction. It is an outrageous attempt to hide the continued
suffering of children behind a partisan attack on Democrats.
This is exactly the kind of gotcha vote that alienates Americans from
our government. It is as shameless as it is inappropriate. It is
inappropriate because Republicans are not doing a single thing to
address the crisis of children still separated from their parents, even
after a court ruled that they need to be reunited.
Democrats refuse to play the Republicans' game when it comes to
children's well-being and the safety of those who come here seeking
asylum. We are not falling for this trap, and you can say we are doing
it as much as you want. Democrats support secure borders and honor the
service of all whose lives are at risk in protecting our country and
our people.
I take a back seat to no one in the House over the years in
supporting our law enforcement personnel, but we will neither be silent
nor will we cease fighting to bring an end to the dangerous and
inhumane policies of the Trump administration that are traumatizing
families and children at our borders, which Senator McCain correctly
called ``an affront to the decency of the American people.''
Shame on the Republican House majority for putting such blatant
partisanship ahead of the children. Shame on you for using our law
enforcement agents as pawns in your political games.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining on
each side?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Weber of Texas). The gentleman from
Virginia has 6\1/4\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from New York has
11 minutes remaining.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. McCaul), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the men and
women of ICE who courageously serve our country every single day.
Recently, ICE agents have been the targets of vicious name-calling
and partisan attacks. Some have even described ICE as a terrorist
organization. To make matters worse, some politicians in Washington are
now calling on Congress to abolish ICE.
But just last year, Mr. Speaker, an overwhelming bipartisan majority
in the House, including Leader Pelosi, voted to authorize ICE into law
for the first time. This kind of dishonest double standard is politics
at its worst.
{time} 1415
Abolishing ICE is a reckless and dangerous idea that jeopardizes the
safety of American communities.
ICE was originally formed after 9/11 to help secure our homeland.
When I was a Federal prosecutor with the Joint Terrorism Task Force,
ICE was instrumental in deporting potential terrorists on immigration
violations. Today, ICE agents stop drug smugglers, murderers, human
traffickers, and dangerous gangs like MS-13 along our border.
In 2017 alone, ICE agents stopped almost 1 million pounds of
narcotics, including opioids, from entering our country. This included
7,000 pounds of heroin and 2,400 pounds of fentanyl. They arrested
nearly 5,000 gang members and identified or rescued over 500 victims of
trafficking.
These are not just hollow statistics. These numbers represent the
great work and positive impact that ICE has on people's lives.
John Kennedy, the great President, a Democrat, talked about profiles
in courage. I would argue a ``present'' vote is hardly a profile in
courage.
[[Page H6490]]
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the distinguished gentleman and a member of
the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, when Democrats talk about immigrants,
refugees, and asylum seekers, this is the mom and her children whom we
are talking about. She is fleeing Central America to save the life of
her children from violence, systematic corruption, extortion--yes--
rape, and kidnapping.
But the other side wants to change the subject. On every TV screen
this fall, Republicans will show pictures of tattooed gang members
flashing gang signs, looking like murderers. We know. We get your
strategy.
You take your marching orders from Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson
quicker than the President takes his marching orders from the Kremlin.
In the same week that the President insulted the intelligence
community of the United States, we are not going to let you insult the
intelligence of the American voter. Immigrants, refugees, outsiders and
outcasts, freed slaves, and survivors, just like this woman and her
children, built this country.
Some of us had our land stolen; some of us were stolen from our land;
and some of us made a very smart decision that we had to get away from
the land we were in so that we could survive. That is who we are. That
is what America is.
Every generation of Americans has had to withstand people in
positions of power labeling the poor, the weak, the outsiders, and
people of different races and ethnicities as criminals, threats, and
the cause of all our problems, as the majority does today. Every
generation of Americans has had to stand up to bullies and racists and
power-hungry politicians and overcome their efforts to divide us as
Americans.
That is also the story of America's greatness: our resilience and our
ability as a nation to overcome the worst instincts of some of our
leaders. That is the story of America, and that is what we are doing
today.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan).
Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, when a magician performs, they often utilize
misdirection as a way to deceive an audience. Wikipedia defines
``misdirection'' as a form of deception in which the attention of the
audience is focused on the one thing in order to distract its attention
from another.
Today, the Republicans are performing a cruel trick on the American
people. The Nation is repulsed by President Trump's directives that
have forced the separation of over 3,000 children from their parents at
the Nation's border, placed children in cages, and terrorized children.
As one 9-year-old victim said, he was treated like a prisoner and a
dog. This is cruel, inhumane, and un-American.
Rather than have Congress take up a directive to reunite children
with their parents, the GOP is performing some misdirection to another
issue, hoping that you won't notice that they will not stand up against
the GOP's policy of family separation and putting kids in cages at our
Nation's borders. Why? Because many of the GOP Members support the
President's shameful actions.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Wisconsin an
additional 30 seconds.
Mr. POCAN. Now they want to play politics and misdirect your
attention.
I won't be complicit in their attempts. I will vote ``present'' today
to be present for the children and parents separated at the border.
Shame on you for terrorizing children and ignoring pleas to help
them.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 990.
The issue is not the law enforcement agencies or the personnel, but,
rather, it is the administration's policies regarding enforcement.
ICE has become a lightning rod for the anger, quite honestly, about
President Trump's hardline immigration policies. Our number one goal is
to defend our homeland. ICE officers and special agents perform a vital
role each day to keep our country safe. I want to make sure that we
clear up some confusion about what ICE does, what their functions are.
ICE is split into two primary functions: one is the enforcement and
removal operations, which is the one that enforces the Nation's
immigration laws; the other, which is very, very important, is it
investigates all types of cross-border criminal activities, which
include financial crimes; money laundering; bulk cash smuggling;
commercial fraud; intellectual property theft; cyber crimes;
child pornography; human rights violations; human smuggling and
trafficking; information, document, and benefit fraud; narcotics and
weapons smuggling and trafficking; transnational gang activities;
export enforcements; and international art and antiquity theft.
Again, as has been mentioned, the good work that ICE has done in FY
2017: 4,818 transnational gang members were arrested, over 11,000
narcotics criminal arrests were made, and 904 sexually exploited
children were identified and rescued. I know that for a fact because my
brother has worked with ICE, the sheriff down there, Martin Cuellar,
and they have saved some of the kids there.
Again, the issue is not law enforcement agencies or personnel. It is
not the men and women who are working there very hard every day, but it
is, rather, the policies of the administration regarding this.
Again, I would ask Members to please look at this legislation and
support it.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Costa).
Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, immigration is one of the more important issues that we
must face around here. It is one we take seriously. This debate, sadly,
is more about politics, in my view.
Our decisions affect people's lives and America's future. We must
stop these partisan ``gotcha'' bills, empty-messaging resolutions, and
ideological hijacking of our policy discussions. Rather, we must come
together and do our work and create a fair and effective immigration
system, one that reflects our values.
We must have and we need bipartisan, comprehensive immigration laws
to fix our broken immigration system, much like was done in 2013.
Unfortunately, it didn't pass. Then we must smartly enforce it.
We have big challenges. We must take care of the Dreamers stuck in
DACA limbo; we must reunite families who are separated, secure our
borders--yes, we must--using every effective means possible; and we
must bring undocumented neighbors out of the shadows.
I will vote for this resolution, but it is not about abolish or
support ICE.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from California an
additional 15 seconds.
Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I will vote for this resolution, but it is
not about abolish or support ICE. I respect the need for interior and
immigration enforcement, and I have concerns about how this
administration is doing it.
Enough of political games, catering to the loudest and most extreme
voices in both parties. Let's check our ideology at the door. Let's get
to work on bipartisan, commonsense immigration reform. That is what the
people want us to do.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time remains for each
side.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 6\1/4\
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Virginia has 2\1/2\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Doggett).
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, here, the height of hypocrisy, the depth of
duplicity. While this administration relentlessly, baselessly, and
desperately attacks Federal law enforcement officials--the FBI, the
Justice Department, our intelligence agencies--again and again, these
same Republicans, so proud of law enforcement in one narrow area today,
are silent. They stand by tweet-addicted Trump,
[[Page H6491]]
our President who, even this very day, has again denied that Russia
poses any threat.
Where is your resolution to defend the Federal Bureau of
Investigation?
Where is your resolution to defend NATO, which has been disparaged by
this shameful President?
No. What we have today is a shameless, spineless group of Republican
congressional enablers who are enabling Trump, who totally ignore those
dedicated to defending our borders from Russian aggression.
These Republicans claim that we have so much more to fear from little
infants and toddlers who come across our southern border and seek to
escape gang and domestic violence and, yet, are torn by ICE from their
mothers' embrace, than from a murderous Vladimir Putin.
Of course we need immigration law enforcement and secure borders, but
this resolution ignores many wrongs of ICE: hundreds of claims of
harassment, sexual harassment, child separation, and an unresponsive
bureaucracy. At the same time that they ignore those wrongs, they
ignore the wrongs of Trump in impairing other Federal law enforcement.
Trump's own intelligence chief, a lifelong Republican whom he
appointed, warns that our democracy is under sustained Russian assault,
yet they are silent.
Trump is impotent in the face of Putin. We need to reject this
complicity, the Trump child abuse, and the abuse of Federal law
enforcement.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Democratic leader of the
House.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, this is really a very sad day in the Congress of the
United States because we are ignoring the needs of children. As a
mother of five children--I had five children in 6 years, so lots of
little babies all around the house all the time, lots of joy--and
understanding the connection between parent and child, and being a
grandmother of nine now, I can't even imagine why the Republicans think
it is a good idea to move forward with a bill that does nothing to
unite families, to stop the separations, and to have the reuniting of
families in a way that is humane--not to reunite and detain in prison,
in detention, but to unite in a way that honors the humanity of
America.
In church on Sunday, the sermon was about not being an enemy of
humanity. Some of the activities that are happening now in relation to
these children are actions that qualify as enmity to humanity.
What we have: 2,000 children remain separated from their parents,
locked away in Federal custody and living in a state of terror and
trauma.
This is a picture of a little boy being confronted by an armed
official. Do we have any idea what the impact is on that child?
Republican leadership pushed multiple antifamily bills that would
have made the horrific situation worse for children by enshrining the
President's outrageous mass deportation agenda as the law of the land
with his zero-tolerance policy. We should have zero tolerance for that
policy.
My Republican colleagues have voted again and again against actions
to force a vote on a bill that would require the government to reunite
families, and now you are promoting a new political stunt, wasting the
country's and the Congress' time with a meaningless vote on a
nonbinding resolution that does nothing to protect the children and end
the cruel crisis that President Trump has created.
{time} 1430
This resolution does nothing to prevent the separation of babies from
their mothers. You are parents. You know, in the night, if you hear a
sound from the room down the hall, that connection is something beyond
material. It is spiritual. It is about parent and child, mother and
child, father and child, and now we are going to rip that apart.
It does nothing to prevent the separation of children with
disabilities from their parents and caregivers. It does nothing to
provide legal counsel to children in immigration court, including
little babies who cannot even yet verbally communicate.
For example, Johan. Earlier this summer, a 1-year-old boy named Johan
appeared in court without his parents--1 year old. He played with a
toy. He drank from a bottle. Then he cried hysterically, because he did
not have his mother or his father there to comfort or care for him. The
immigration judge even reported that he was ``embarrassed to ask'' if
little Johan could understand the proceedings. The judge is asking a 1-
year-old child taking a bottle if he can understand the proceedings.
What sort of administration sends a 1-year-old child into a courtroom
alone to make his case? This resolution is an assault to little
children like Johan.
Congress should be working day and night to protect these traumatized
children. Do you know the toll that you are taking on these children? I
wish you would listen to the representatives of the Society of
Pediatric Doctors and what they have to say about this, pediatricians,
what they have to say about this.
We should be working day and night to ensure the President can never
again enable children to be ripped from their parents' arms. Democrats
will continue to fight for families.
Here is the thing I found very sad, because it was almost a year ago,
say, 10 months ago, when I was informed by the administration that they
were going to separate children from their parents. This is not
something that has emerged. This is a decision that was made.
They said, these parents, especially the moms they were talking
about, are unfit mothers because they have chosen to take their
children across the desert, which is very dangerous. That makes them
unfit.
Unfit? Really? If their choice is to stay home and be murdered, be
raped, be victims of gang violence, and they are coming to find solace
or refugee status? They are unfit, I was told by the administration,
and we know better what is good for the children. We are going to take
the children and send them to foster care or whatever--or whatever--
foster care or whatever, taking children from their parents, as a
decision of national policy.
Around that same time, we had a hearing--well, it was earlier. It was
on the Muslim ban, so it was more like over a year ago, and the
American Association of Evangelicals testified in that hearing. It was
a Democratic hearing, because the Republicans would not have that
hearing. They said that the U.S. refugee resettlement program is the
crown jewel of American humanitarianism, the American Association of
Evangelicals--the refugee resettlement program, the crown jewel of
American humanitarianism.
So how is it that it can be so obvious to so many people that we are
humanitarian, that all of these children are God's children, that all
of them have a spark of divinity? Mr. President, they have a spark of
divinity, and you do, too.
So let us all act on our and their spark of divinity and treat them
with the level of respect that they deserve and not use children as a
political shield for some other agenda.
This isn't about whether you support ICE or not. By the way, I will
just close on this. On this subject, I want to remind our Republican
colleagues that Democrats have been strong on protecting our borders
all along. You recall after 9/11, a commission was formed, the 9/11
Commission. It took a couple of years to make recommendations. It took
a while to make recommendations--a distinguished nonpartisan,
bipartisan commission. It presented its recommendations in the summer
of 2004.
The Republicans in Congress controlled the Congress at the time, and
they would not take up those recommendations, which were about
protecting our country.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New York may remember it, because he
has been a champion on this issue for such a long time, and since his
district was affected by 9/11, in the forefront of that fight for us,
to form a commission to begin with but also to
[[Page H6492]]
fit--it took us, until the Democrats took control of the Congress, in
2006--the first bill that we put on the floor, H.R. 1 in the new
Congress, was to adopt the 9/11 Commission recommendations to keep the
American people safe, protect and defend, which is our oath of office.
So don't make it look like you are either for protecting the border
or not. This is about being enemies of humanity, by taking children
away from their parents, keeping them separated, and when they unite
them, to keep them under detention. It is not the crown jewel of our
humanitarianism.
I urge a ``no'' vote. I am going to vote ``present'' on it, because
they will use it politically, use it politically, use it politically.
Vote ``present'' or however anyone wants to vote, but understand what
it is.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Montana (Mr. Gianforte).
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, the men and women of ICE work every day to make our
country and our communities safer. They secure our borders. They
enforce our laws. They protect our safety. And I stand with them.
America's borders have been too open for too long. Drug cartels,
dangerous gangs, and human traffickers exploit our weak borders and
bring crime to our Montana communities. As America and Montana face an
epidemic of drug abuse and addiction, ICE agents seized nearly 1
million pounds of illegal drugs last year, including nearly 2,400
pounds of fentanyl and 7,000 pounds of heroin.
ICE agents arrested more than 127,000 criminal aliens last year.
These criminals were charged with weapons offenses, drug crimes, gang-
related activity, sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder.
Now, some of my friends across the aisle have called for abolishing
ICE. Abolishing ICE is a reckless idea. Abolishing ICE would embolden
violent criminals, like members of the vicious MS-13 gang, intent on
doing us harm. Abolishing ICE would jeopardize the safety and security
of our Montana communities.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose abolishing ICE. And, Mr. Speaker, I
proudly stand with ICE agents who are dedicated to making our Nation
and Montana safer and more secure.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter).
Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Nadler.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with Mr. Gianforte and with Mr. Cuellar. We have
outstanding men and women in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I am
not going to do anything to disparage the many good men and women that
we have, but I will never, never support these abominable policies
coming out of the Trump administration that tear families apart, that
these men and women are having to implement because the White House has
decided they are going to go into the immigrant communities and tear
them apart.
This is a piece of legislation that is not necessary, and I say that
to my friends on the Republican side. We support the good men and women
in law enforcement as Democrats, but I will not support any of these
policies or even look like I am supporting any of the immigration
policies of this President. They are terrible, and they are hurting
this country.
I urge a vote of ``present'' on this particular piece of legislation.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining on
each side?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia has 1 minute
remaining. The gentleman from New York has 2\1/4\ minutes remaining.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I have only one speaker remaining to
close the debate for our side. I believe we have the right to close.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, we are prepared to close. I yield the
balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of many Americans,
enough--enough of cruelty disguised as border security, enough of
inflicting pain on children to make their parents stay away, enough of
picking on the weak to show that you are strong.
The people in this Chamber, who are the sons and daughters of
immigrants from all over the world, should know the history of this
Nation, and the fact that when the Irish came here, they were greeted
with signs in New York and Boston that said: ``No Irish need apply.''
Those of German descent were said to be too dirty to be Americans.
Italians were interned during World War II.
Are we a Nation that learns from our mistakes, or are we not? Are we
a country that adheres to our Constitution and strives to achieve the
words inside it, or are we just pretending?
This is a special Nation, a Nation that has been blessed by people
who have come here from all over the world, yet the policies of this
administration denigrate the history of this country and denigrate its
future.
These families must stop being separated. Just because you come up to
a border or cross a border does not make you nonhuman. They should be
treated as human beings, most especially by a country that is supposed
to be a moral beacon for the world over.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader.
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, last week, Democrats introduced a bill to abolish ICE.
That is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In doing so, I
think we should first review the agency's record.
As it turns out, ICE agents are on the front lines in the battle
against crime.
In 2016, they arrested nearly 2,000 human traffickers, criminals who
are involved in modern-day slavery. You wanted to abolish that.
Last year, they arrested more than 4,800 gang members, including more
than 800 members of the MS-13, one of the most vicious gangs operating
today. But you wanted to abolish that and put it into our communities.
They intercepted more than 1 ton of fentanyl that was headed for our
communities. Now, we all should know what fentanyl will do, because we
just debated more than 50-some bills on this floor, because 172 people
who are Americans will die today because of an addiction. Fentanyl is
so deadly that just a few grams will kill you. But you wanted to
abolish that, to allow it into our communities.
Still, the Democrats say, not only will they want to introduce it,
people will cosponsor it. But there is a problem, and I actually think
there are two problems with this.
The first problem is that most Americans disagree with you. They
actually support ICE. According to a recent poll, just one in four
Americans thinks we should abolish it.
The second problem is that Democrats don't even agree with their own
bill they introduced. They lack the courage of their so-called
convictions, because when we offered the ability to bring up the bill,
abolish ICE, that they put into the hopper and cosponsored, Democrats
said they would vote ``no.''
They wanted the glory of introducing a bill to the far left of their
own party, but they didn't have the guts to accept the consequences.
That is the kind of leadership that the Democrats have to offer.
{time} 1445
Mr. Speaker, I am even more confused listening to the Democratic
leadership. I was here. I was on the floor. I listened, Mr. Speaker, to
the leader on the Democratic side when she said: I recommend voting
``no,'' or maybe vote ``present,'' or vote however you want.
I am not sure what position she was requesting when she said all
three. And I am not sure exactly what the author wanted to do when he
put his bill across the aisle and asked the other Members of his own
conference to cosponsor it, when he said he would vote ``no,'' when he
had the offer to bring it up on the floor. Does that mean that every
bill Democrats put across they really don't want to support? I am just
not sure.
Now, we are about to vote on a resolution of the opposite. We want to
support the law enforcement officers of
[[Page H6493]]
ICE and will renounce the activist campaign against them.
The danger these officers face is no joke. So for those in the back
who would like to speak, Mr. Speaker, during this, I would ask that
they get quiet for one moment, because six officers of ICE lost their
lives defending those.
The danger to these officers is real, and it is not a joke. Six
officers have died in the line of duty:
Special Agent Brian Beliso;
Special Agent Timothy Ensley;
Special Agent Lorenzo Gomez;
Special Agent Scott McGuire;
Special Agent David Wilhelm; and
Special Agent Jaime Zapata, who was killed by cartel hitmen in
Mexico.
These agents gave their lives in the line of duty. Thousands more of
these agents risk their lives every day on our behalf.
I want you to pause for one moment and I want you to think about
those agents, think about those families, but think about those
thousands of agents who are defending our border. What do they think
about a bill that comes across the desk that says you want to abolish
them? How much support do you want to give them? How much support do
they feel when the leadership, Mr. Speaker, of the Democratic Party
says: Vote ``no,'' vote ``present,'' just vote how you want?
Well, do you know what? When they risk their lives and they stop
another human trafficker of modern-day slavery and they save another
child, I will vote to support them. Or when they stop an amount of
drugs coming across and they save American lives, I will support them.
Or when they stop MS-13 gang members from coming into any of our
communities, I will support them. If only for this reason, agents
deserve our gratitude and support.
Mr. Speaker, I am confused. I understand there is this growing
socialist movement in the Democratic Party, but when does this
socialist new Democratic Party believe we should have no borders? I
guess it is today.
Mr. Speaker, that is not what the Americans have asked for, and that
is not what America supports. But then again, Mr. Speaker, I am not
sure I understand what the other side supports when they offer a bill
and they ask people to cosponsor and then they won't even vote for it.
That is why I am happy to offer Congressman Higgins' resolution and
stand with the women and men of ICE, because I want a safer America.
And for those who gave their life for us, I will stand with them, even
if it means standing up against a new socialist Democratic Party.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for personal reasons, I cannot be
present for the vote on H. Res. 990. If present I would point out that
if Republicans were really serious about assessing the efficiency of
ICE, they would have heeded the multiple calls from me and my
Democratic colleagues to hold hearings on President Trump's dreadful
family separation policy that has resulted in thousands of families
being ripped apart, including the isolation of children and babies. As
to the resolution's language that states ``supports the efforts of all
Federal agencies, State law enforcement, and military personnel who
bring law and order . . .'', I strongly support that and the important
agency missions including of money laundering, narcotics
investigations, cyber crimes, terrorism prevention, and customs
enforcement. If present, I would have inquired of my Republican
colleagues if they could get the same statement of support of Federal
law enforcement agencies from President Trump, given his behavior and
statements in Helsinki and the same disdain he has expressed for
Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 990, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________